Tips for Using a Slow Cooker

The crock pot, widely known as a slow or pressure cooker, is one of the most common appliances used in the kitchen today. It’s essentially a countertop cooking appliance that’s mainly used for simmering purposes. Certain food items, such as dense meats, need to be slow cooked before they can be served. It can be used for making a variety of different dishes, such as pot roasts, steaks, stews, and different kinds of soups. The cooker can also be used for making dips or beverages.

A standard slow cooker consists of an oval shaped pot that’s usually made out of porcelain or glazed ceramic. The pot is surrounded by a specialised casing that’s mostly made of metal. The metallic casing also contains a heating element (usually heating coils). The lid is mostly made out of transparent glass and can be sealed by placing it along the grooves on the side of the cooker. The cooker can serve as both a heat reservoir and a container for cooking purposes. Most pressure cookers generally come with a few different heat settings. Depending upon the type of dish you are making, you can just change the setting according to your preferences. Common settings include, low, medium, high, and a “maintain warmth” option.

The crock pot can be used for making a variety of different dishes. Here are some tips on how to get the best food out of your crock pot.

Don’t Worry About Recipes

One of the biggest benefits of using a crock pot is how much time and effort it saves. You don’t need to worry about cutting the ingredients and pouring them in at specific times. Instead, just pour everything into the crock pot at once and shut the lid. That’s one of the primary reasons why so many people make soups and stews in their cookers. Just put all of the ingredients in the bowl and let it simmer for a while. You can enhance the flavour if you cook certain vegetables (like onions) before actually putting them into the cooker.

Saves Money

If you are tight on cash, you can save a lot of money by using your crock pot more frequently. It’s a great appliance for making certain foods, such as pork shoulders, beef briskets, and chicken thighs. You can also reduce the amount of meat and increase the quantity of vegetables, primarily because slow cooking enhances the flavour significantly.

Reduce Fat

Perhaps the biggest reason why you should start using a crock pot is because it significantly reduces your reliance on oil. There’s no need to add oil into the fray, as the ingredients won’t stick to the sides of the pot due to the excessive moisture inside. Generally speaking, when you cook meat, you don’t worry about the amount of fat because the oil trims it away. However, before you put your meat in a crock pot, you should trim the fat carefully, otherwise there will be pools of fat swimming in the final dish.

Keep these things in mind to enhance the flavour profiles of your dishes considerably.